Battles Go Down to Last Race in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America

While Loris Spinelli and Giano Taurino were speeding away to the Pro class and overall win Friday afternoon in the final race of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season, the battles behind them decided championships in the three other classes. When the checkered flag waved at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, Bryson Lew and John Dubets (ProAm class), Shehan Chandrasoma (Am) and Slade Stewart (LB Cup) joined Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli, who had previously clinched the Pro title, as 2022 champions. The final two races of the 12-race North American season were conducted on the same day. Spinelli and Taurino, co-drivers of the No. 188 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, actually crossed the finish line first in both races. Spinelli, however, was assessed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits in the first race, handing the Pro and overall win to Nelson Piquet Jr. in the No. 130 Ansa Motorsports, Lamborghini Broward Huracán. Fired up with extra motivation for the second race, Spinelli took over the No. 188 Huracán from Taurino during the mandatory pit stop and kept the field at bay, winning by 5.512 seconds over Marcelli and Formal in the No. 101 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán. “This morning we missed the victory,” Spinelli said. “I had a problem with the radio, so the communication was off, and I didn’t hear that I was (exceeding) track limits so finished P2. But super happy to come back stronger. I was able to keep the pace until the end so really happy for that and how we enjoyed this podium.” Added co-driver Taurino, “I think this race we were hungrier to be able to actually obtain the win and we did, which is amazing. I have to thank the team for all of the hard work. It’s been nonstop with them going through the car, changing a lot of stuff, but in the end, I think it was worth it.” After finishing fourth in ProAm in the morning race, Dubets and Lew had to charge from behind in the second race to hold off Precision Performance Motorsports (PPM) teammates Bryan Ortiz and Sebastian Carazo for the class win and championship. Dubets, in the No. 146 PPM, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán, passed Carazo, driving the No. 147 PPM Huracán, with just more than three minutes remaining and rolled on to the ProAm win. Dubets and Lew edged Carazo and Ortiz by just seven points in the final standings. “I don’t think we can put this into words,” Dubets said. “Bryson and I came into this (season) not really knowing what to expect. We didn’t know anything about the series, the car, the competitors and we’re with a new team. Everything just felt like a good fit for us. The car worked well and together as a pairing we were able to make good results. “It came down to the last race and to be officially crowned the champion means a lot to not only myself, but I think Bryson would say the same.” In the Am class, Chandrasoma won the second race in the No. 119 MCR racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán to secure the championship. He benefited from the misfortune of the No. 148 PPM, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán shared by David Staab and Nikko Reger. After winning the morning race to build an eight-point lead, Staab and Reger’s car suffered an alternator issue at the start of the afternoon race, forcing them to retire early. Chandrasoma wound up just four points better than Staab and Reger in the final Am standings. “I was just looking to get a podium when I first started this season,” said Chandrasoma, the 19-year-old Super Trofeo rookie who totaled six wins, “and here I am winning the championship in the Am class. Definitely a crazy moment for me.” Stewart figured his chances of holding onto the LB Cup lead were gone when he crashed the No. 114 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán in practice Thursday after spinning in fluid dropped by another car. A sixth-place finish in Friday’s first race trimmed his lead to three points but by finishing third in the second race, he held on by seven points over Charlie Martin and Jason Gagne-Keats (No. 154 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán). “I thought I was done (after the crash),” Stewart said. “I thought the weekend was over for me. My team pulled together and completely repaired that car to get me on the grid today. I can’t thank them enough … it’s just been a hell of a season.” Fred Roberts swept both LB Cup wins on Friday, taking the No. 189 NTE Sport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán to the top of the podium for the first time. “Just Chapter 2 of the dream,” a giddy Roberts said after the second win. “We’re having a blast honestly; we’re really blessed to be out here. It’s kind of cool. It’s great, it’s fantastic!” Lamborghini Super Trofeo competition continues through the weekend with the Grand Finals pitting the European and North American drivers against each other. Saturday’s schedule has the race for Am and LB Cup starting at 10:45 a.m. ET, with the Pro and ProAm race starting at 12:05 p.m. On Sunday, the AM/LB Cup race starts at 8 a.m., with the Pro/ProAm race at 10:50 a.m. All races stream live on the Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube page.

 

Spinelli, Taurino Stretch Lamborghini Super Trofeo Win Streak to Three

Loris Spinelli and Giano Taurino are as hot in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America competition as the weather was Saturday at VIRginia International Raceway. The blazing heat didn’t matter as the duo rolled to their third straight win and edged closer to the top of the Pro class standings. Driving the No. 88 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, they combined to take the overall and Pro class victory by more than eight seconds in the first of two weekend races at VIR. Spinelli started from the pole and avoided chaos directly behind when the Huracáns of second-place starter Danny Formal and third-place starter Dario Capitanio touched entering Turn 1 of the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course. The result was damage eliminating Capitanio and the No. 27 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Las Vegas Huracán, while Formal dropped to 18th place in the 25-car field. Unaffected, Spinelli pulled to a 12-second lead before handing the No. 88 Huracán over to Taurino on the mandatory pit stop. All Taurino needed to do from that point was not make a mistake. “After the incident happened at the front with those two, it gave us a big cushion to rely on,” Taurino said. “I went out there with no stress. For the first time, my heart wasn’t going crazy. It’s very hot out there so the track is very loose, like on ice, so I had to make sure I didn’t spin out. Overall, I think we did really good.” Formal and co-driver Kyle Marcelli charged back in the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán to finish third, behind Edoardo Piscopo and Patrick Kujala in the No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán. Formal, Marcelli and the No. 1 still hold a comfortable lead in the Pro standings heading into Sunday’s second race, the 10th of 12 this season. Spinelli, Taurino and the No. 88 moved into second in the class, 25 points out of the lead and a single point ahead of Piscopo, Kujala and the No. 50. “Right now, we are in a good way,” he said. “Three (wins) in a row is amazing. We are working really hard, especially with Giano. He did an amazing pace today and the car was really good, so thanks to the team.” The ProAm class witnessed a dominant performance of its own, with Bryson Lew and John Dubets collecting their third straight win and fifth this season in the No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán, by a 24-second margin over teammates Sebastian Carazo and Bryan Ortiz in the No. 47 PPM Huracán. Starting ninth overall, Lew dodged the first-lap melee and came out in third place. He was fourth overall and in the ProAm lead when he stepped out in favor of Dubets to close. “This one’s totally on Bryson,” Dubets said. “He made the gap today and I just had to bring it home. Bryson came in really hot in qualifying, got some good track position, took the car to the front. … I was in such good track position, all I had to do was bring it home.” With the win, Lew and Dubets also reclaimed the ProAm points lead. “It feels great,” Lew said. “We’re just going to keep pushing harder and harder. We want more wins, more wins. Let’s do it!” Shehan Chandrasoma, solo driver of the No. 19 MCR racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán, drove to his fourth Am win in 2022. Also starting from the class pole, Chandrasoma was never seriously challenged and crossed the finish line 48 seconds ahead of David Staab and Nikko Reger (No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán), who saw their Am lead chiseled to six points. “Consistent car, good team, they set up the car perfectly,” Chandrasoma said. “I closed the championship lead by a couple points but hopefully things go even better next race.” The wildest finish of the day came in LB Cup. Ofir Levy (No. 13 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Rancho Mirage Huracán) held off advances from several challengers in the closing laps of the 50-minute race, including a drag race down the front straight to win by 0.604 seconds over Austin McIntosh, making his series debut in the No. 49 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. “I just tried to be smart, not to block anyone but just play defensive,” Levy said. “The guys behind were a little quicker at certain parts, and there were a couple moves they attempted but I was able to hold on. It’s a fantastic win.” The second race of the VIR weekend starts at 11:35 a.m. ET Sunday and streams live on Peacock and IMSA.com/TVLive.

 

Speedy Spinelli Leads No. 88 Taurino Racing to Lamborghini Super Trofeo Win

Regarded as one of the best Lamborghini Super Trofeo drivers in the world, Loris Spinelli showed why Saturday in the first race of the North American series’ weekend at Road America. Spinelli rocketed from mid-pack at the start of the 50-minute race interrupted by a pair of full-course cautions and turned the No. 88 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 over to co-driver Giano Taurino on the mandatory pit stop. Taurino exited the pits in the lead and held the spot from that point onward as the race finished under the second yellow. It marked the first Pro class win for Taurino, who totaled four Am class wins in his rookie season last year. It’s the 10th North American Super Trofeo victory for Spinelli, with the first nine coming in the ProAm class where he captured the 2018 championship. Spinelli is also a three-time champion in the European version of the series. Spinelli started 14th overall Saturday but moved up to seventh by the time the first caution came out on Lap 2 for a stalled car and fluids around the 4.048-mile road course. Following a lengthy period to clean the track, only 20 minutes remained when racing restarted. Spinelli stayed on track as long as possible, turning lightning-fast laps on a clear track as the other Pro competitors made their pit stops. “I’m so happy the car was so strong,” Spinelli said. “I pushed the two laps when I saw all the other guys come in. I tried to push and do what I need to do to close the gap with the leader. And we did it. I’m so happy for the strategy and thanks to the team.” Spinelli made his stop with 13 minutes remaining and Taurino came out in front, holding off Edoardo Piscopo in the No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán and Kyle Marcelli in the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán until the second caution flag flew with seven minutes to go for a car stuck in the Turn 14 gravel. The No. 50 was penalized post-race for a short pit stop, moving the No. 1 to second place in the final standings. “It was a lot of fun,” an elated Taurino said in victory lane. “You have to hate the yellow flags, but in the end, they helped us big time. I didn’t think this was going to happen so I don’t know how to really feel about winning for the first time this year. But I’m sure there’s more to come.” In the ProAm class, Bryson Lew and John Dubets collected their third win of the season in the No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. Unlike the Pro winners, Lew was among the first to pit, with Dubets taking over and charging to the class win. “Bryson put us exactly where we needed to be today,” Dubets said. “There was a lot of yellow out there, so once I got in, we needed to move forward. Our eyes were on P1 and once we got that done, we just kind of set cruise control, so to speak, and waited to see if the race would come back to us. Unfortunately, it ended under yellow.” David Staab and Nikko Reger, co-drivers of the No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán, also secured their third win of the season, in the Am class. It helped them extend their points lead. “We still got quite dicey in the five, six laps we had,” said Reger, who drove the closing stint. “David put in a monster start and got us up to third. I hopped in the car and knew I probably didn’t have a ton of time left, so just got to work. The two guys in front of us got to a little rubbin’, we’ll say, (I) caught up to them and eventually snagged it. Having some fun in the sun.” LB Cup saw Charlie Martin and Jason Gagne-Keats celebrate their first series win in the No. 54 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán. Martin avoided issues some of the other LB Cup drivers had in the busy 31-car field and grabbed the class lead before pitting to hand the car to Gagne-Keats. Both drivers were all smiles after collecting the milestone maiden win. “Starting in sixth (in class), I knew we had a battle ahead of us,” Martin said, “but you never know what’s going to happen in the race. It all worked out for us. I pushed hard when the green flag came back on and Jason did a good job holding our position. It’s really, really cool.” Gagne-Keats was even more emphatic about the victory. “It feels fantastic!” he said. “We had a technicality at Watkins Glen that kept us off the top of the podium, so we’ll take it today.” Race 2 starts at 2:55 p.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock and IMSA Radio.

 

Wet and Wild Win for Spinelli, Taurino Completes Lamborghini Super Trofeo Sweep

Neither race was easy but Loris Spinelli and Giano Taurino completed a weekend sweep of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, winning both races at Road America. The second victory came in difficult conditions Sunday that included a red-flag stoppage and mandate for teams to change to wet-condition tires. Starting ninth overall in the No. 88 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, Taurino moved into the top six before making the mandatory pit stop and turning over the car for Spinelli to finish the 50-minute race. A full-course caution came soon after, when several cars slid off course in Turn 12 as heavy rain pelted that area of the track. The race was red-flagged with 17 minutes, 17 seconds to go, with Spinelli saddled in 12th place. The Italian relied on his extensive wet-weather racing experience to slice through the field after racing resumed. He crossed the finish line second behind Nelson Piquet Jr. (No. 30 Ansa Motorsports, Lamborghini Broward Huracán), who was assessed a postrace penalty for not making the mandatory pit stop and relegated to 22nd in the standings. “This race for sure has been a real challenge for the weather,” Spinelli said. “I’m so happy! I fight in the end to get this win. Thanks to Giano for an amazing stint in the first part and everybody at Taurino for this. Some parts of the track were very wet, so (the red flag) was the best way to choose to have a safe race. But it was hard to keep the car on the track.” The margin of victory for Spinelli and Taurino was a scant 0.757 seconds over Joel Miller, making his series debut this weekend in the No. 11 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán. Sunday’s win for the No. 88 followed the triumph in Saturday’s first race dominated by full-course cautions. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Taurino said of the sweep. “My heart’s still shaking, I still have butterflies. It was unexpected because we’ve been struggling all year and we finally have found a car that can help us fight now. I think this is only the beginning.” Bryson Lew and John Dubets completed a weekend sweep in ProAm as well, winning both class races in the No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. The duo took third place overall Sunday and won their class by more than 16 seconds. “I had a little bit of excitement there,” said Dubets, who started the race. “I was behind Piquet, we came into Canada Corner and it started downpouring. We both went for a wild ride. Luckily, our car stayed on track and we managed to catch the pit lane before it closed. (It) put Bryson in the perfect spot to go out there in front of the field and he did an excellent job in those tricky conditions.” “It feels great to be back on the podium, on the top step especially,” Lew added. “John told me to be careful with all the lines, with the oil and the rain. I made sure to be cautious the first pace lap and I just implemented that throughout the race. It worked out great.” The Am class winner Sunday was Shehan Chandrasoma in the No. 19 MCR racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán. The Super Trofeo rookie gained his third win of the season. “It was a good race,” Chandrasoma said. “I lost two spots in the end in the overall, but I just decided to stay safe in my Am class. That’s what I’m competing for and I think I’m back in the championship hunt now.” LB Cup provided a sensational story with Keawn Tandon taking the class win in his first car racing weekend. The 18-year-old’s previous experience all came in karting. He didn’t know he would be competing in Lamborghini Super Trofeo until Thursday, when he took his first shakedown laps in the No. 89 NTE Sport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán. “It was amazing; I’m still processing it,” Tandon said. “The biggest thing was just to stay clean the whole time and get the thing rotated and back to power as soon as possible, and just stay out of traffic. After they told me I was P1 in my class, the last three laps I just let off and said, ‘Let’s just keep it like this.’” Unofficial class leaders after eight of 12 races are:

• Pro: Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal, No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Paramus Huracán, by 26 points over Edoardo Piscopo and Patrick Kujala, No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán.
• ProAm: Ashton Harrison and Tom Long, No. 25 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán, by two points over Dubets and Lew.
• Am: David Staab and Nikko Reger, No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán, by 10 points over Chandrasoma.
• LB Cup: Slade Stewart, No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán, by 10 points over Jason Gagne-Keats and Charlie Martin, No. 54 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán.

The next doubleheader round is Aug. 26-28 at VIRginia International Raceway.

 

Patience Pays off in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Win for Marcelli, Formal

Kyle Marcelli exhibited a characteristic difficult for most race drivers – patience – until it was time to pounce Friday and drive away to victory in the first Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race of the weekend at Watkins Glen International. Driving the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 he took over for co-driver Danny Formal, Marcelli zipped into the lead with just more than nine minutes left in the 50-minute race and zoomed away. It marked the third time Marcelli and Formal have won this year and second straight race following last month’s finale at NOLA Motorsports Park. Starting from the overall and Pro class pole in the series-record 36-car field, Formal held the lead until making his mandatory pit stop for the driver change with 28 minutes remaining. Once the pit cycle completed for all teams, Marcelli trailed Giano Taurino in the No. 88 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. Marcelli bided his time on Taurino’s bumper for more than 10 minutes before smoothly sailing inside and into the lead exiting the Boot section of the 3.4-mile road course. Marcelli went on to win by 4.292 seconds over Edoardo Liberati, solo driver of the No. 27 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Las Vegas Huracán. “We had a good race car underneath us and I was kind of in the catbird seat,” Marcelli said of his laps behind Taurino. “I was just waiting for the right moment and didn’t want to be foolish. You really had to be methodical, and I knew if it was going to happen, it was going to happen in a slow section of the track. Just had to wait for the right opportunity and it finally came.” Marcelli will start from the pole position in Saturday’s race that streams live on Peacock and IMSA.com/TVLive at 12:10 p.m. ET. “Big points race for us and two poles (earned in morning qualifying), so that’s two points more,” Formal said. “Super happy and super excited for Race 2 tomorrow and hopefully we can get our first perfect weekend.” Sebastian Carazo and Bryan Ortiz made it two wins in a row in ProAm, cruising to a 6.752-second win in the No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. Second place went to Ashton Harrison and Tom Long in the No. 25 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán. “Sebastian did a great job on the first stint, stayed out of trouble, then I jumped in and it was a clean race,” Ortiz said. “I was with a pack of the Pro guys and I didn’t want to be in their race too much since we were pretty comfortable in the (ProAm) lead.” Teammate Carazo added, “It definitely feels great being able to go back-to-back. It’s good points for the championship. We just need to keep working on it and keep being consistent.” Shehan Chandrasoma built enough of a cushion in the Am class that he was able to survive a last-lap spin on his own and still win in the No. 19 MCR racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán. It gave the series newcomer his second straight victory as well. “I had no radio, had no idea where I was, how many minutes were left,” Chandrasoma said. “I just kept on and tried to do a safe speed, consistent race. I ended up having a little spin at the last lap. Apparently, I was 15 seconds ahead so I was very lucky.” In LB Cup, Scott Schmidt crossed the finish line second but was awarded the class victory in the No. 38 TPC Racing, Lamborghini Washington Huracán when the No. 54 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini San Francisco Huracán driven by Charlie Martin and Jason Gagne-Keats was assessed a 1.5-second postrace penalty for their pit stop not meeting the minimum time standard. It’s the first Lamborghini Super Trofeo win for Schmidt, whose best previous finish was second place in the 2020 season finale at Sebring International Raceway when he was paired in the Am class with Trevor Andrusko, his driver coach. Andrusko was in Schmidt’s ear on the radio Friday, alerting Schmidt to the impending penalty for the No. 54 in front of him. “He said, ‘I want you on their bumper,’’ Schmidt said. “For those last two or three laps, it was just push, push, push the car. I got into (Turn) 7, got a little sideways, recovered and back at it, and finished up within that second and a half and got victory No. 1. First ever, it was awesome!”

 

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Primed for Record Grid in First Visit to NOLA

Unlike most of his fellow drivers in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, Danny Formal has experience racing at NOLA Motorsports Park, the track the series visits this weekend. Admittedly, that experience is minimal. Formal competed in a world karting championship at the circuit in Avondale, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans in 2013. The native Costa Rican remembers it well, not only because he qualified first. “The track looks very technical and very, very fast,” Formal said. “Super excited to get there.” The 26-year-old and the rest of the competitors head to the 2.75-mile, 16-turn road course as the series makes its first visit in what could be a record showing. Thirty-two cars are on the entry list, one more than the record grid that raced three weeks ago at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to open the 2022 season. It was there that Formal and co-driver Kyle Marcelli finished first and second in the two races in the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2. They are a single point behind Pro class leaders Edoardo Piscopo and Patrick Kujala, who share the No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán in the single-make series. The strong start for Formal and Marcelli picked up where they left off to close the 2021 season. After Marcelli absorbed a 150-mph crash at Watkins Glen International when a tire suddenly went down, the team rebuilt the car and set out on a mission that saw the No. 1 win three of the last four races of the year. Formal said their goal for 2022 is nothing short of the North American championship and to follow it with a world championship when the North American and European racers square off in the World Finals at Portimao, Portugal, in November. “There’s nothing less than that for us,” Formal said. “We have to get the (North American) championship – at least fight for the championship every single race. And everyone wants to be a world champion. … At the end of the year at Portimao, we want to try to beat the Europeans and come away with a world championship.” Other class leaders heading into the weekend are: Ashton Harrison and Tom Long, co-drivers of the No. 25 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán in ProAm; David Staab and Nikko Reger, co-drivers of the No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Lamborghini Huracán in Am; and Slade Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán in LB Cup. Since LSTNA has not raced at NOLA before, a pair of test sessions were held Thursday, with two official practices set for Friday. Qualifying starts at 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday, with the first 50-minute race at 5:30 p.m. that same day. Race 2 begins at 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Both races will stream live on IMSA.com/TVLive and Peacock, with a weekend recap airing at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28 on USA Network.

 

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Crowns Four Different Winners at NOLA Race 2

The highly competitive nature of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America was on open display in Race 2 of the NOLA Motorsports Park weekend. For the second straight event to start the 2022 season, the four class winners on Sunday were all different from those who triumphed in Race 1 the day before. The opening round three weeks ago at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca also saw different winners in the classes from the first to second races. Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal rolled to the overall and Pro class victory Sunday in the No. 1 Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2. Starting from the pole, Marcelli ceded the lead early but Formal charged back in the closing stint, overtaking Giano Taurino (No. 88 Taurino Racing by D Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán) with a bold inside pass in Turn 6 with 15 minutes remaining in the 50-minute race. Formal drove away to win by more than nine seconds over Edoardo Liberati (No. 27 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Las Vegas Huracán). “Awesome drive today,” Formal said after he and Marcelli earned their second win of 2022 and fifth in the last eight series races dating to mid-2021. “Kyle saved the tires for me, gave me a perfect race car and I just pushed, pushed, pushed. “When I got to the (No.) 88, I saw he was having trouble with the rear of the car so I just looked for my moment, passed him going into (Turn) 6. He wasn’t expecting that, so that’s one of the reasons I passed him there.” The win also gave Formal and Marcelli a two-point lead over Edoardo Piscopo and Patrick Kujala (No. 50 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán) after the second of six doubleheader race rounds. Marcelli was glad to leave the demanding NOLA track atop the Pro standings. “This place is wild,” he said. “We were out of breath after five laps. It keeps you on your toes. It’s a fast racetrack, requires a lot of commitment, it’s bumpy. But our Wayne Taylor Racing car rolled off the trailer well. Big thanks to the engineers.” The ProAm class saw Sebastian Carazo and Bryan Ortiz collect their first win of the season in the No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán. Carazo regrouped from a disappointing qualifying effort on Saturday – he started the race 14th overall and fifth in ProAm – vaulted to second in class on the opening lap and held there until turning the No. 47 over to Ortiz on the mandatory pit stop. Ortiz quickly disposed of Alan Grossberg (No. 2 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Las Vegas Huracán) and pulled away to win by more than 12 seconds over Ashton Harrison and Tom Long in the No. 25 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán. “Today was offense, offense, offense,” Carazo said. “I tried to move up as many positions as we could. Qualifying wasn’t great with traffic so today was recover what we couldn’t do yesterday and keep our nose clean. That’s what ultimately got us to second place after the first two or three laps.” Ortiz, the 2021 ProAm champion with Brandon Gdovic, was pleased to get the first win with his new teammate. “What we needed today was to stay out of trouble and let him (Carazo) stay in the lead pack,” Ortiz said. “I knew we had a good car. It definitely paid off. We were able to get to the front and be with the lead guys. First win of many, hopefully.” Harrison and Long took the ProAm points lead, four better than Race 1 winners Bryson Lew and John Dubets (No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán). Series newcomer Shehan Chandrasoma joined the Lamborghini Super Trofeo first-time winners’ club, driving the No. 19 MCR racing, Lamborghini Austin Huracán to victory in the Am class. He took the lead with 14 minutes to go and won by 8.5 seconds over David Staab and Nikko Reger (No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán). “It feels amazing!” Chandrasoma said after being drenched in champagne on the podium. “I took a break from racing for about two years during Covid and it feels good to be back, for sure. It was all about staying consistent and having a good, clean race. I finished P8 overall, which is not terrible.” Staab and Reger lead the Am standings by three points over Cam Aliabadi (No. 17 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Walnut Creek Huracán). LB Cup welcomed a pair of first-time winners as well, Ofir Levy and Jon Hirshberg in the No. 13 O’Gara Motorsport/Change Racing/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Rancho Mirage Huracán. Hirshberg drove the closing stint, taking the class lead with 13 minutes to go and winning by nearly six seconds over Slade Stewart, Saturday’s LB Cup winner in the No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach Huracán. “It was fantastic,” Hirshberg said. “I just tried to play it smart and waited for an opportunity to get into first, and it worked out well. Super happy about it.” Stewart leads Levy and Hirshberg by nine points in the LB Cup standings after four races. A televised recap of the NOLA weekend airs at 10 a.m. ET Saturday on USA Network. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America returns to action June 23-26 at Watkins Glen International.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca - April 29^th to May 1^st

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Revving with Momentum Heading into 10th Season

The stars are aligned for the greatest season to date in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America (LSTNA), which opens its schedule this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The North American version of the single-make racing series enters its historic 10th season and in the first of a five-year extension of the agreement that keeps it under IMSA sanction. The car that every competitor races this year is the new Evo2 version of the alluring and fast Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo. A record grid of 34 cars fielded by 12 teams (another new standard) is entered for the doubleheader race round at WeatherTech Raceway, with more entries expected in future rounds. To say the future looks bright for LSTNA is a vast understatement. In one of the brief moments he’s had to relax while preparing for the 2022 season, Chris Ward, senior manager of motorsports for Automobili Lamborghini America, reflected on how far the series has come since seven cars were on the grid for the inaugural race in 2013 at Lime Rock Park. “You think about 10 years,” Ward said, “we’ve been through good times and bad times of the sports car racing paddock. Here we are 10 years later and just celebrating enormous success. The product is terrific and having new teams come to us shows that the word is out that this is a good place to come and race. “Things are heading in the right direction. I’m very excited.” The 2022 LSTNA grid is loaded with proven drivers and teams as well as fresh, promising newcomers. Dream Racing Motorsport – the reigning LSTNA team champion – returns with six entries this year, with a pair of 2021 champions in the mix. Richard Antinucci won the Pro class title last season, his third series championship, and will drive with Justin Price in the ProAm division this year in the No. 21 Lamborghini Atlanta Huracán. Luke Berkeley, who as a 17-year-old stormed to the Am class crown, moves up to Pro this season in the team’s No. 23 Lamborghini Broward Huracán. US RaceTronics also has six cars in the field, including two run in conjunction with longtime series entrant Change Racing. Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing has four cars entered at WeatherTech Raceway with a fifth expected in future rounds. Precision Performance Motorsports has three Huracáns on the grid, including the No. 47 Lamborghini Palm Beach entry in ProAm. Bryan Ortiz and Brandon Gdovic won the ProAm championship in the car last season. Ortiz is teamed with Sebastian Carazo in the No. 47 this year in a bid to repeat. TPC Racing and MCR Racing also return with three entries apiece. New teams include Flying Lizard Motorsports (three cars), Forty7 Motorsports (two) and NTE Sport (1). Each has experience in other IMSA series but will debut in LSTNA this weekend. A number of other past series champion drivers are back this season as well, including Edoardo Piscopo and Loris Spinelli in the Pro class, Damon Ockey in ProAm and Randy Sellari in Am. Spinelli already won the first two races of the 2022 European Super Trofeo season at Imola, Italy, in the new Huracán Evo2. The LSTNA season consists of five doubleheader rounds in North America, followed by the final round in November at Portimao, Portugal, which runs along with the World Final matching up the North American and European teams and drivers. At WeatherTech Raceway this week, LSTNA will conduct two 45-minute practices on Friday, with qualifying at 11 a.m. ET Saturday. The first 50-minute race starts at 4:50 p.m. Saturday and the second race at 12:40 p.m. Sunday. Both races stream live on IMSA.com/TVLive.

 

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Gears up for Pivotal Round at WeatherTech Raceway

The competition throughout Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America couldn’t be much tighter as it heads to the fifth of six doubleheader rounds in 2021. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is the site of this weekend’s action, with 50-minute races slated on Saturday and Sunday. The results will be pivotal with leaders in three of the four classes holding an advantage of five points or fewer entering action. Twenty-eight cars are on the pre-event entry list. Richard Antinucci appeared to be sailing toward a third Pro class season championship, with four wins in the first six races, until last month’s round at Road America. He crashed in practice at the Wisconsin track and his No. 27 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Las Vegas Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO was unable to be repaired. Antinucci joined teammate Dario Capitanio in the No. 22 Huracán for the remainder of the weekend, but a pair of disappointing race finishes allowed Stevan McAleer (No. 16 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán) to close within five points of Antinucci. Third in the Pro class, 11 points behind Antinucci, are Steven Aghakhani and Jacob Eidson (No. 6 O’Gara Motorsport/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán). Eidson won both WeatherTech Raceway ProAm class races in 2019 with co-driver Damon Ockey, on their way to the season championship. Aghakhani won both Am races at the track that same year. Antinucci, though, swept the Pro class wins in 2015 at the track, helping him to his first series title. The Am class finds Alan Metni (No 99 Change Racing, Lamborghini Dallas Huracán) atop the standings, despite not winning a race. Metni has five second-place finishes and a pair of thirds to give him a three-point lead over Luke Berkeley (No. 23 Dream Racing Motorsport, Lamborghini Broward Huracán) and an 11-point edge on Ashton Harrison (No. 25 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán). Berkeley and Harrison each has two wins this season. There’s another tight battle in LB Cup, with Mark Kvamme and Terry Olson (No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán) seeing their lead shrink to five points after a pair of fifth-place results at Road America. Matt Dicken (No. 36 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán) is second in the standings, but keep an eye on John Hennessy (No. 33 O’Gara Motorsport/US RaceTronics, Lamborghini San Diego Huracán). In his first weekend of competition since sustaining a wrist injury at Circuit of The Americas in May, Hennessy won both Road America races, and he was victorious in one of the WeatherTech Raceway contests last year. The only class where the leaders hold a comfortable advantage is ProAm. Brandon Gdovic and Bryan Ortiz (No. 46 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach Huracán) are 19 points ahead of Victor Gomez (No. 29 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán). Races are set for 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday and 1:35 p.m. Sunday. Both will stream live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and IMSA.com/TVLive. This is the final domestic round before the series heads to Misano, Italy, to cap the North American season on Oct. 28-29. That will be followed by the World Final at the same track Oct. 30-31, gathering competitors from the North American, European and Asian series.